May 17, 1954
Supreme Court Rules Against School Segregation in Brown v. Board of Education
On this day in 1954, the Supreme Court ruled against school segregation in the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka ruling.
Although African Americans first sued (unsuccessfully) to stop mandated racially segregated education in 1849, the successful lawsuits known as Brown v. Board of Education were the culmination of a litigation strategy initiated in the 1930’s.
For more information on the this history of segregation, check out our Evolution of Brown vs. Board of Education fact sheet.
Source: to.pbs.org
May 10, 1994: Nelson Mandela Becomes President of South Africa
On this day in 1994, Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as South Africa’s first black president. Mandela had spent 27 years imprisoned for working in the anti-apartheid movement.
FRONTLINE’s “The Long Walk of Nelson Mandela” site takes an inside look at his childhood, revolutionary years, imprisonment, and personal life.
Source: to.pbs.org
May 4, 1961: Freedom Riders Board Buses to New Orleans
On this day in 1961, a group of Freedom Riders set off from the nation’s capital to New Orleans. There were thirteen in total - male and female, black and white, young and old- who set out in two separate buses.
Their goal was to test and challenge segregated travel facilities throughout the South.
Click the American Experience interactive map to retrace the Freedom Rides of 1961.
Source: to.pbs.org
MARCH 7, 1965: SELMA’S “BLOODY SUNDAY”
On this day in 1965, demonstrators started a 54-mile march in Selma, Alabama in response to an activist’s murder. They were protesting his death and the unfair state laws and local violence that keep African Americans from voting.
Led by SNCC activists John Lewis and Hosea Williams, about 525 peaceful marchers were violently assaulted by state police near the Edmund Pettus Bridge outside Selma.
Television networks broadcasted the attacks of “Bloody Sunday” nationwide, creating outrage at the police, and sympathy for the marchers.
For more, check out PBS’ archival site for the award-winning series Eyes on the Prize.
Photo:
Aerial view of marchers crossing the Edmund-Pettus Bridge during the march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in 1965.
(Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, NYWT&S Collection)
Source: pbs.org
HAPPY BIRTHDAY HARRY BELAFONTE!
Harry Belafonte, who turns 85 today, is not only a musical icon, but also a lifelong political and social activist.
Last fall, Gwen Ifill from the PBS NewsHour talked with Belafonte about his life as a singer, actor and civil rights activist.
Source: video.pbs.org
TODAY’S BLACK HISTORY ICON: DAISY BATES
A feminist before the term was invented, Daisy Bates refused to accept her assigned place in society.
Independent Lens’ “Daisy Bates: First Lady of Little Rock” tells the story of her life and public support of nine black students who registered to attend an all-white high school in Little Rock, Arkansas, which culminated in a crisis - pitting a president against a governor and a community against itself.
Watch “Daisy Bates: First Lady of Little Rock” now until Feb 16th.
In celebration of this year’s Black History Month, PBS will showcase an expansive lineup of programs profiling the rich history, culture and contributions of African Americans.
From the abolition of slavery to the rise of the black power movement, these programs take a profound look into a variety of historical events and individuals.
Watch full-length black history programs now on PBS.org.
JANUARY 30, 1948: GANDHI ASSASSINATED
On this day in 1948, Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated by a Hindu extremist.
Mahatma Gandhi’s nonviolent movement to free India from British colonial rule inspired American civil rights activists who had immersed themselves in Ghandi’s teachings and viewed non-violence as an effective way to challenge the tyranny of the Jim Crow South.
DECEMBER 1: ROSA PARKS REFUSES TO GIVE UP SEAT, 1955
On this day in 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat for a white passenger, leading to her arrest and sparking the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
For many, this day became a symbolic start for the civil rights movement.
American Experience’s acclaimed “Eyes on The Prize” series covered all the major events of the civil rights movement.
On the accompanying site, read the national press during the boycott and browse through photos of Rosa Parks, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and even ordinary citizens who participated in this historic campaign for equality.
